Food and eating is an important part of Indian culture, playing a role in everyday life as well as in festivals. In many families, everyday meals are usually sit-down affairs consisting of two to three main course dishes, varied accompaniments such as chutneys and pickles, carbohydrate staples such as rice and roti (bread), as well as desserts.

Diversity is a feature of India’s geography, culture, and food. Indian cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the subcontinent. Generally, Indian cuisine can be split into four categories: North Indian, South Indian, East Indian, and West Indian. Despite this diversity, some unifying threads emerge in the art of Indian cuisine. Varied uses of spices are an integral part of food preparation, and are used to enhance the flavor of a dish and create unique flavors and aromas. Cuisine across India has also been influenced by various cultural groups that entered India throughout history, from regions as diverse as West Asia, Central Asia and Europe.

History and influences

As a land that has experienced extensive immigration and intermingling through many millennia, the subcontinent has benefited from numerous food influences. The diverse climate in the region, ranging from deep tropical to alpine, has also helped considerably broaden the set of ingredients readily available to the many schools of cookery in India. In many cases, food has become a marker of religious and social identity, with varying taboos and preferences (for instance, a segment of the Jain population consume no roots or subterranean vegetable; Jain vegetarianism which has also driven these groups to innovate extensively with the food sources that are deemed acceptable.

One strong influence over Indian foods is the longstanding vegetarianism within sections of India’s Hindu and Jain communities. At around 30%, slightly less than a third of Indians are vegetarians.

Around 7000 BCE, sesame, eggplant, and humped cattle had been domesticated in the Indus Valley. By 3000 BCE, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and mustard were harvested in India. Many recipes first emerged during the initial Vedic period, when India was still heavily forested and agriculture was complemented with game hunting and forest produce. In Vedic times, a normal diet consisted of fruit, vegetables, meat, grain, dairy products and honey.Over time, some segments of the population embraced vegetarianism.This was facilitated by advent of Buddhism and a cooperative climate where variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains could easily be grown throughout the year. A food classification system that categorized any item as saatvic, raajsic or taamsic developed in Ayurveda. Each was deemed to have a powerful effect on the body and the mind

Later, invasions from Central Asia, Arabia, the Mughal empire, and Persia, and others had a deep and fundamental effect on Indian cooking. Influence from traders such as the Arab and Portuguese diversified subcontinental tastes and meals. As with other cuisines,
Indian cuisine has absorbed the new-world vegetables such as tomato, chilli, and potato, as staples. These are actually relatively recent additions.

Islamic rule introduced rich gravies, pilafs and non-vegetarian fare such as kebabs, resulting in Mughlai cuisine, as well as such fruits as apricots, melons, peaches, and plums. The Mughals were great patrons of cooking. Exquisit dishes were prepared during the reigns of Shah Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The Nizams of Hyderabad state meanwhile developed and perfected their own style of cooking with the most notable dish being the Biryani

The Portuguese and British introduced foods from the New World such as potatoes, tomatoes, squash, and chilies and cooking techniques like baking.

Elements

The staples of Indian cuisine are rice, atta (whole wheat flour), and a variety of pulses, the most important of which are masoor (most often red lentil), chana (bengal gram), toor (pigeon pea or yellow gram), urad (black gram) and mung (green gram). Pulses may be used whole, dehusked, for example dhuli moong or dhuli urad, or split. Pulses are used extensively in the form of dal (split). Some of the pulses like chana and “Mung” are also processed into flour (besan).

Most Indian curries are fried in vegetable oil. In North and West India, groundnut oil has traditionally been most popular for frying, while in Eastern India, Mustard oil is more commonly used. In South India, coconut oil and Gingelly Oil is common. In recent decades, sunflower oil and soybean oil have gained popularity all over India. Hydrogenated vegetable oil, known as Vanaspati ghee, is also a popular cooking medium that replaces Desi ghee (clarified butter).

The most important/frequently used spices in Indian cuisine are chilli pepper, black mustard seed (rai), cumin (jeera), turmeric (haldi), fenugreek (methi), asafoetida (hing), ginger (adrak), and garlic (lassan). Popular spice mixes are garam masala which is usually a powder of five or more dried spices, commonly comprised of cardamom, cinnamon and clove; and Goda Masala, a popular spice mix in Maharashtra. Some leaves are commonly used like tejpat ,cassia leaf, coriander leaf, fenugreek leaf and mint leaf. The common use of curry leaves is typical of all Indian cuisine. In sweet dishes, cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, and rose petal essence are used.

The term “curry” is usually understood to mean “gravy”, a sauce, in India, rather than spices.

Geographical varieties

Northern

North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the proportionally high use of dairy products; milk, paneer, ghee (clarified butter), and yoghurt (dahi) are all common ingredients. Gravies are typically dairy-based. Other common ingredients include chilies, saffron, and nuts.

North Indian cooking features the use of the “tawa” (griddle) for baking flat breads like roti and paratha, and “tandoor” (a large and cylindrical coal-fired oven) for baking breads such as naan, and kulcha; main courses like tandoori chicken also cook in the tandoor. Other breads like puri and bhatoora, which are deep fried in oil, are also common. Goat and lamb meats are favored ingredients of many northern Indian recipes.

The samosa is a popular North Indian snack, and now commonly found in other parts of India, Central Asia and the Middle East. A common variety is filled with boiled, fried, or mashed potato. Other fillings include minced meat, cheese (paneer), mushroom (khumbi), and chick pea.

The staple food of most of North India is a variety of lentils, vegetables, and roti (wheat based bread). The varieties used and the method of preparation can vary from place to place. Popular dishes include buknu, gujiya, chaat, daal ki kachauri, mirchi bada, jalebi, imarti several types of pickles (or achar), murabba, sharbat, pana and aam papad. Popular sweets include mithai, such as gulab jamun, peda, khurchan, petha, rewdi, gajak, milk cake, balushahi, bal mithai, singori, kulfi, falooda, khaja, ras malai, gulqand, and several varieties of laddu, barfi and halwa.

Some common North Indian foods such as the various kebab and most of the meat dishes originated with Muslims’ incursions into the country. Pakistan was part of North India prior to the partition of India. As a result, Pakistani cuisine is very similar to northern Indian cuisine.

Eastern

East Indian cuisine is famous for its desserts, especially sweets such as rasgolla, chumchum, sandesh, rasabali, chhena poda, chhena gaja, and kheeri. Many of the sweet dishes now popular in Northern India initially originated in the Bengal and Orissa regions. Apart from sweets, East India cuisine offers delights of posta (poppy seeds).

Traditional Bengali cuisine is not too spicy, not too faint. General ingredients used in Bengali curries are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, black cumin, green
chillies,cumin paste, mustard paste, curd, nuts, poppy seed paste, cashew paste,etc. and cooked in mustard oil.Curries are classified into bata(paste), bhaja(fries), chochchoree(less spicy vapourized curries) and jhol(thin spicy curries).These are eaten with plain boiled rice or ghonto (spiced rice). Traditional Bengali breakfast includes pantabhat (biotically degenerated boiled rice), doi-chirey, doodh-muree with fruits,etc. Bangladeshi cuisine is very similar to East Indian cuisine. Fish and seafood are very popular in the coastal states of Orissa and West Bengal.

Like South India, rice is the staple grain in Eastern India. A regular meal consists of many side dishes made of vegetables. The popular vegetable dishes of Orissa are Dalma and Santula. The most popular vegetable dish of Bengal is Sukto. Deep fried, shallow fried and mashed vegetables are also very popular. Fish frequently features in a regular meal.

Southern

South Indian cuisine is distinguished by a greater emphasis on rice as the staple grain, the liberal use of coconut and particularly coconut oil and curry leaves, and the ubiquity of sambar and rasam (also called saaru’/'chaaru) at meals.

The dosa, idli, vada, bonda, and bajji are typical South Indian snacks. These are generally consumed as breakfast. Andhra, Chettinad, Hyderabadi, Mangalorean, and Kerala cuisines each have distinct tastes and methods of cooking. In fact each of the South Indian states has a different way of preparing sambar; a connoisseur of South Indian food will very easily tell the difference between sambar from Kerala, sambar from Tamil Nadu, Sambar from Karnataka and pappu pulusu in Andhra cuisine.Some
popular dishes include the Biriyani, Ghee Rice with meat curry, sea-food (prawns, mussels, mackerel) and paper thin Pathiris from Malabar area.

Western

Western India has three major food groups: Gujarati, Maharashtrian and Goan. Maharashtrian cuisine
is has mainly two sections defined by the geographical sections. The coastal regions similar to goa depend more on rice, coconut, and fish while the hilly and plateau regions use groundnut in place of coconut and depend more on wheat, jowar and Bajri. Saraswat cuisine forms an important part of coastal Konkani Indian cuisine. Gujarati cuisine is predominantly vegetarian. Many Gujarati dishes have a hint of sweetness due to use of sugar or brown sugar. Goan cuisine is influenced by the Portuguese colonization of Goa. Goa was a colony of Portugal for over four hundred years and has dramatically influenced the small state. For instance, beef and pork are consumed there, due to the Portuguese presence. Popular and well known dishes from Goa include the vindaloo (which means garlic wine in the Portuguese language), originally a sour and spicy pork curry, but which more recently are
consumed with any meat. Pork sorpotel is also a Portuguese influenced Goan dish. This dish consists of thin pork sausages mixed with onions, and is usually eaten on its own, unlike other Indian dishes which are eaten with rice and Indian breads.

North Eastern

The food of this region is totally different from other parts of India. This area’s cuisine is more influenced by its neighbours, namelyBurma and the People’s Republic of China. It’s use of well known Indian spices is less. Yak is a popular meat in this region of India.

Indian Cuisine outside the Indian subcontinent

Britain has a particularly strong tradition of Indian cuisine that originates from the British Raj. At that time there were a few Indian restaurants in the richer parts of London that catered to British officers returning from their duties in India. Currently, the favourite dish in the United Kingdom is supposedly Chicken Tikka Masala, even before fish and chips.

In the 1960s, a number of unauthentic “Indian” foods were developed, including the widely popular “chicken tikka masala“. This tendency has now been reversed, with subcontinental restaurants being more willing to serve authentic Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani food, and to show their regional variations. In the late twentieth century Birmingham was the centre of growth of Balti houses, serving a newly developed style of cooking in a large, wok-like, pan, with a name sometimes attributed to the territory of Baltistan, (however, the Hindi word for bucket is also Balti). Indian food is now integral to the British diet. Chicken Tikka Masala is thought to be Britain’s most popular dish. There are now 8,000 Indian restaurants in Britain, turning over in excess of £2 billion and employing 70,000 workers.

In the past Indian food adapted to its surroundings, and mild “Indian-style” dishes like Chicken Korma and Chicken Tikka Masala became hugely popular. However, since Indian food has now become an everyday part of the British diet, there has blossomed an avid and enthusiastic market for authentic Indian cuisine, which has seen many more inventive restaurateurs create new and vibrant dishes which challenge the customers palate rather than pander to everyday tastes. Dishes like Mirchi Rasoi Jhinga, the Hariyali Sheekh
Kebab and Jhangi Champey have their roots in Indian Britain rather than India. Mulligatawny Soup is another Anglo-Indian dish, its name taken from Tamil for “pepper water” (’Millagu’ is pepper and ‘Thanni’ is water).

After the Immigration Act of 1965, South Asian immigration to the United States increased, and with it the prevalence of Indian cuisine, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, the New York City neighborhoods of Murray Hill, Manhattan, Jackson Heights and East 6th Street, and in Edison, NJ. All-you-can-eat buffets with several standard dishes are typical in some Indian restaurants in the United States.

Indian restaurants are common in the larger cities of Canada, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver where large numbers of Indian nationals have settled since 1970. A number of the more adventurous restaurants have transformed their offerings into so-called Indian “fusion” menus, combining fresh local ingredients with traditional Indian cooking techniques.

Due to the large Indian community in South Africa, the cuisine of South Africa includes several dishes of Indian-origin; some have evolved to become unique to South Africa, such as the bunny chow. Many others are modified with local spices.

Beverages

Tea is a staple beverage throughout India; the finest varieties are grown in Darjeeling and Assam. It is generally prepared as masala chai, tea with a mixture of spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger boiled with milk. Another popular beverage, coffee, is largely served in South India. One of the finest varieties of Coffea arabica is grown around Mysore, Karnataka, and is marketed under the trade name “Mysore Nuggets”. Filter Coffee, or kaapi, is also especially popular in South India. Other beverages include nimbu pani (lemonade), lassi, badam dood (milk with nuts and cardamom), sharbat and coconut water. India also has many indigenous alcoholic beverages, including palm wine, fenny, bhang and Indian beer. However the practice of drinking a beverage with a meal, or wine and food matching, is not traditional or common in India. The budding wine industry is poised to grow significantly.

Although above listed beverages are popular, people prefer to
consume still drinking water with their food. In fact it is custom to offer drinking water to guest before serving hot or cold drink. Also drinking water does not overshadow taste of food.

Etiquette

Several customs are associated with the manner of food consumption. Traditionally, meals are eaten while seated either on the floor or on very low stools or cushions. Food is most often eaten without cutlery, using instead the fingers of the right hand. However, these traditional ways of dining are being influenced by eating styles from other parts of the world.

Traditional serving styles vary from region to region in India. A universal aspect of presentation is the thali, a large plate with samplings of different regional dishes accompanied by raita, breads such as naan, puri, or roti, and rice.
In South India, a cleaned banana leaf is often placed under the food as decoration and as a hygienic and portable alternative to plates.

See also

References

• 1 tb Cardamom seeds
• 1 ts Whole cloves
• 1 Cinnamon stick -; (5 cm long)
• 1 ts Whole black peppercorns
• 1 ts Cumin seeds
• 1/4 md Nutmeg seed

Instructions:
Place all of the ingredients in a pestle and mortar or clean electric coffee grinder. Finely groundthe spices. Transfer to a small airtight container, and store in a cool, dark place.

Makes about 3 tablespoons.

References:

1. Martha Stewart Living
2. Recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Spice Kitchen: Fifty Recipes Introducing Indian Spices and Aromatic Seeds (Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1994)

Preparations:

• 400 grams paneer, cubed
• 500 grams fresh spinach, cleaned and chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 -3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• 2 green chilies
• 1 red onion diced
• 2 medium or 3 small tomatoes, chopped
• 1 medium potato peeled and diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp mustard seed
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Salt to taste

Grape seed oil or oil of your choice
Garam Masala

- In medium frying pan with 2 tbsp oil, brown the cubed paneer until golden. Drain and set to the side.

- Place half the spinach in a large pot and cover with 2 cups of water. Add chopped green chilies, chopped tomato, ginger, and garlic. Boil for 10 minutes. Carefully pour contents into blender and puree into a coarse mixture.

In large pot or large frying pan, heat 3 tbsp oil on high heat and add mustard seed and cook until they begin to splutter. Add chopped onion cooking until lightly browned. Add cumin, coriander, turmeric, bay leaves and fry for 1 minute.

Add pureed spinach mixture, the reserved chopped spinach, the potato, salt and sugar and cook on high heat for 5 to 8 minutes. Add browned paneer, reduce to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until potato is soft or dissolved. Fold Garam Masala into dish 2 minutes prior to serving.

Serve Palak Paneer with rice and/or hot breads.

Reference: happybumblebee

M

Recipe:

It is a dish made by marinating a chicken overnight in a dahi and spice mixture usually including garam masala, ginger, lemon or lime, pepper, coriander, cumin, turmeric, chilli, methi and garlic. It is in some ways similar to Chicken Tikka Masala. The chicken is then roasted or baked.

Makhani sauce is made from butter, tomatoes, almonds and various spices, often including cumin, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, pepper, fenugreek and sometimes cream. Once the sauce is prepared, the marinated and roasted chicken is chopped and added to it.

Legend has it that a customer walked in a Delhi restaurant late at night when all dishes were finished, so the chef just threw a leg of tandoori chicken in a gravy of butter and tomatoes and some mild spices. The dish was loved and became a regular fare.

References

• Another Recipe
• Wikipedia

Restaurants typically offer a choice of vegetarian or meat-based thalis.Depending on the restaurant or the region you are in, the thali consists of delicacies native to that region. The North Indian thali starts out with puris, chapatis (rotis), different vegetarian specialities (curries), usually a sweet, and other miscellaneous items. The South Indian thali comes with appams papad, rice delicacies and similar items from the North Indian.

In some restaurants, a thali may include “bottom-less” refills on all components of food; the idea is that one eats until fully satisfied. Such thalis are referred to as ‘unlimited’ thalis. In some places the term means that everything in the plate excepting a few items like the sweet preparation or dahi vada is open to unlimited helpings.

Thalis sometimes go even by the regional characteristic of the items they have. For example one may encounter Rajasthani thali or Gujarati thali. In Maharashtra the term ‘rice plate’ was (and still occasionally is) used for the concept of thali. At many places in India, the breads and the rice preparation are not served together in the thali. Typically, one finds the Indian bread being offered first and the waiter serves the rice subsequent to the consumption of bread, often in a separate bowl or dish.

As one moves geographically to the South, the emphasis gets shifted to the rice preparation especially from the point of view of quantity. One finds here places which present only rice in their thalis and no breads. The reverse, however, is not true anywhere in India. Rice, even if it is in a modest amount seems to be essential to the popular definition of thali in India. One does not term an exclusively bread offering as thali. But in the North one is often given the option of asking for bread instead of rice at several places. Also there are arrangements especially in Northern and Northwestern India (in fact, even Pakistan and Afghanistan) where one is offered bread exclusively as a part of a meal. One encounters such arrangements especially at a dhaba. Typically, the bread is unlimited in such cases.

See also

• Indian cuisine

References

• Wikipedia

Chicken Makhani is also as popular as Chicken Butter Masala or as Butter Chicken. In restaurants it is made with either Tandoori Chicken or Chicken Tikka. Tikka means boneless piece of meat. This dish has a beautiful flavour of sweet fenugreek. The main ingredients are always tomato and butter along with other spices. This dish originates from North India.

Serves 4-5

Preparation
Ingredients:
* 1 kilo chicken breasts or boneless pieces.
* 1 jar of Geeta’s Regional Sauces - Makhani.
* 2 tablespoons of Tandoori paste.
* 500 gms Natural Yoghurt.
* 4 tablespoons of fresh cream.
* Fresh coriander for garnish.

Method

* Mix Tandoori paste with yohurt well. Marinate the meat with the paste for 4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
* Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees f. Arrange marinated meat on a baking dish and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cut the same in bite size pieces.
* Empty contents of the Makhani sauce jar in a thick botton pan. Add equal amount of water and bring to boil.
* Add chicken pieces and simmer on low heat for 7-8 minutes. Add fresh cream and stir well.
* Simmer for another 5 minutes and remove.
* Garnish with fresh coriander and swirl of fresh cream
Serve with Basmati Rice.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 2 jars Geeta’s Karai Bhuna Spice and Stir cooking sauce
• 500 grams chicken cut into cubes
• 2 – 3 pinches of saffron soaked in ½ cup milk
• 200 grams basmati rice
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 – 5 black peppercorns
• ½ inch piece of cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 2 – 3 green cardamom pods
• 1 onion sliced in half moons
• Nuts and raisins – 15 cashews, 8 almonds, 2 tablespoons raisins
• 12 mint leaves
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of ghee or vegetable oil

Method
RICE

• Wash the rice a few times draining the water at all times.
• Cook as usual adding the bay leaves, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms to the water when cooking.Please note that rice should be slightly undercooked or al dente.
• Once rice is done, set aside.

CHICKEN

• Cook 500 grams of chicken according to the instructions on the jar of Geeta’s Karai Bhuna Spice & Stir cooking sauce. Even though the instructions indicate using 350 grams chicken per jar, in this recipe we are using 500g chicken to 2 jars of sauce as we want extra sauce for this particular recipe.

NUTS

• Fry all the onions until brown and crisp. Then fry the nuts, and raisins in oil, drain excess oil on a kitchen paper towel and set aside.

LAYERING THE BRIYANI

• Grease a deep oven proof dish with butter.
• Add half the cooked chicken as a layer at the bottom of the dish.
• Add a layer of rice and sprinkle half the milk / saffron mixture.
• Add half the fried nuts, onions and raisins and half the mint leaves.
• Add remaining chicken
• Add remaining rice and sprinkle remaining the milk / saffron mixture.
• Add remaining fried nuts, onions and raisins.
• Heat the butter or ghee slightly and pour on top of rice.
• Add the mint leaves on top of the rice.
• Cover dish tightly with foil
• Cook in oven for 30 mins at 180 degrees.

SERVING

• Serve with Geeta’s Premium Mango chutney and Lime & Chilli chutney.

COOK’S TIP

• This is delicious with a spinach raita on the side.

Adapted from a recipe by Geeta’s

• 1 bunch fresh spinach (small)
• 3 cups plain yoghurt – whisked until smooth
• 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped spring onions
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon dill (chopped fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper or paprika for garnish
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

Method

• Remove the hard stems from the fresh spinach, chop finely and place in a pan and cook on light heat until wilted (about 3-4 mins).
• Cool cooked spinach and squeeze the water out and set aside
• Whisk yoghurt, add salt, sugar and mix in the spinach, spring onions, cumin powder, dill and black pepper.
• Refrigerate and garnish with red chilli powder or paprika and a few coriander leaves and cumin powder.

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 tsp. Patak’s Curry Paste - Mild
• 6 tbsp. Water
• 114g/4 oz. canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. Patak’s Mango Chutney
• 1 tbsp. fresh coriander leaf, chopped

Method
Heat the oil and sauté the chicken until lightly browned. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in Patak’s Mild Curry Paste, water and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in Patak’s Mango Chutney and serve over rice, garnished with coriander.

• 1kg large Prawns
• 2.5 tbsps Vinegar
• 1.5 tsps Ferns’ Vindaloo Curry Paste
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbsp Oil
• 2 tsps Garlic Paste

Method:
De-vein the prawns and wash thoroughly, apply salt and vinegar and keep aside. Heat oil, add garlic paste and prawns, saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add Ferns Vindaloo Curry Paste and fry on a low heat. Add 1/2 cup water and cook until prawns are tender.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with boiled rice or a hot bread of your choice.